Canola Quick Bytes

A supplement to U.S. Canola Digest

Captiol Hill

The United States, Mexico and Canada reached a deal in October modernizing trade, which is good news for canola. The United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will allow canola seed, meal and oil to remain tariff-free and removes tariffs on canola oil-based spread imported by the U.S. “At first glance, we’re pleased that open trade for canola will continue and that we’ll now be able to export further processed products like margarine without tariffs being applied,” said Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded two new grants and continued two additional grants for integrated research and extension to expand canola production across the United States. These grants are part of the Supplemental and Alternative Crops Competitive Grants Program. They aim to increase the competitiveness of canola by breeding superior varieties; enhancing planting, cultivating, and harvesting methods; and sharing new knowledge and technologies.

Agronomy

Chances are, you’ve heard a lot about straight cutting in the past couple of years. If you’re curious about the technique but have never tried it, read the USCA blog post by President Rob Rynning.

Washington canola producers are advised to check their crops for grasshoppers after one field of canola was found damaged by these pests, reported Capital Press. Luckily, it doesn’t appear to be an epidemic, but rather a reminder to be attentive. “Grasshoppers are the type that tend to move in and move out,” said Karen Sowers, a Washington State University extension agent. “They can do a lot of damage in some situations. Always be vigilant, is the number one thing on any of these insects.”

Nutrition

Canola meal continues to prove its mettle as a recent study found that it had impressive results in a first-of-its-kind study. The Canola Council of Canada conducted an on-farm trial with dairy producers that introduced canola meal at high inclusion rates. The results were very encouraging: the yield of milk, fat and protein all increased, and the canola meal allowed the farmers to “streamline sourcing protein ingredients,” reported Dairy Business.

Keeping your waistline intact during the holiday season can be a struggle. As celebrations gear up this month, The Daily Reflector highlighted canola oil as a healthy cooking option, with experts agreeing on its health benefits. “The bottom line advice is to limit or avoid using coconut, virgin coconut and palm oils if you are concerned about preventing or managing heart disease,” the author noted.

Other Country News

Canada’s House of Commons passed an act to implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership in October, which would allow the country to export value-added products like canola oil to countries like Japan that place high tariffs on those products. If tariffs are eliminated, canola exports could top $780 million. “Considering the robust consultation process Canada has already undertaken, we urge the Senate to consider and pass Bill C-79 without delay, and ensure Canada does not fall further behind competitors,” said Canola Council of Canada President Jim Everson.

Australian canola producers have had a rough go of it in 2018. The country’s canola production is reaching record low numbers because of an extremely dry harvest season, reported the North Queensland Register. It’s not all bad news, however, as October rain will likely save some yields. “The variability in yield potential across paddocks, farms and regions is huge depending on whether crops could access deep subsoil water and/or the timing of an extra 20-30 mm from storms,” said Nick Goddard, executive director of the Australian Oilseeds Federation.

Canada’s canola harvest has similarly hit a snag this year, although it’s not a drought that’s causing the issues – it’s snow. The Manitoba Cooperator reported that the region experienced one of the coolest Septembers in recent memory and it’s impacting crops. “Just plan to straight cut it whenever things dry down and it’s really going to be trial and error, trying different angles to see how we can get this crop to feed and potentially adding crop lifters could certainly help,” said Angela Brackenreed, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada.

Latest Industry News

The Northern Canola Growers Association (NCGA) will hold its 12th Annual Canola Research Conference in Fargo on Thursday, Nov. 15. Researchers with projects funded through the National Canola Research Program and directly through the NCGA will report on results of their research and receive feedback from regional canola growers and industry representatives. The meeting is open to all canola stakeholders. To attend, please call the NCGA office at 701-223-4124.

The 21st Annual NCGA Canola Expo will be in Langdon, N.D., on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Featured speaker Randy Martinson will focus on oilseed markets and NDSU Extension will give the latest on canola clubroot research. The expo will also feature a trade show and the NCGA annual membership meeting.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture October crop report showed record canola production in 2018, with the forecast at 3.62 billion pounds, up 16 percent from 2017. The yield forecast, at a record high 1,864 pounds per acre, is 306 pounds above last year. If realized, the yield forecast in Idaho, North Dakota and Washington will be the highest on record since the published data series began for those states. The yield in North Dakota, the largest canola-producing state, is forecast at 1,920 pounds per acre, up 290 pounds from last year’s yield. By Sept. 30, most (94 percent) of the crop had been harvested.

Monsanto was denied another trial after a jury ruled in September in favor of plaintiff Dewayne Johnson, a groundskeeper, who alleged that using Roundup gave him lymphatic cancer. Monsanto quickly appealed, and while that new trial was denied, the punitive damages were reduced from $250 million to $39 million, reported NBC News.

About the USCA

The 5th National Canola Research Conference (NCRC), sponsored by the USCA and canola industry, will be Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 5-6, 2018 in Baltimore, Md. It will be held in conjunction with the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Crop Science Society of America annual meetings. A range of agronomy, nutrition and industrial topics will be addressed. “The NCRC provides an opportunity for canola enthusiasts to showcase their work to the broader agronomy and crop science research communities [as well as for] researchers to discuss and collaborate on new research topics,” said Mike Stamm, NCRC organizer and ASA member. More info is in his USCA blog post.

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